US sees the funny side of our election gaffes

IT APPEARS we're not the only ones who think Australian politics is a joke.

A Daily Show skit in the US poking fun at the first week of the Australian election campaign has become a hit on YouTube, generating more than 85,000 hits since it was posted on Monday.

Tony Abbott's miscued kiss, the One Nation candidate who thought Islam was a country, the Queensland minister who took photos of his penis in a glass of red wine and the Liberal candidate who failed to outline the Coalition's six-point plan to "stop the boats" all feature in the seven-minute segment.

John Oliver, who came to the attention of Australians earlier this year for his Daily Show skit on our gun control laws, draws parallels between our campaign "scandals" and those in the United States.

He also marvels at our ability to cram so many gaffes into a four-week election campaign.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart airs weeknights direct from the US at 7pm on The Comedy Channel.

The Daily Show on Aussie gun control:
John Oliver tests the theory that government-mandated gun control doesn't work.